Call to Action

Act now, so the poor will be able to eat
An Open Letter to the UN, the G-20, and the governments and NGOs of the world

The Coronavirus and the disease it is spreading (COVID-19) have transformed the world, forcing closedowns and disrupting travel and stressing – if not completely breaking – the supply chains that guarantee that we all find food. This is particularly true for the poor in all societies. The reality of the global agriculture and food and nutrition system is that it may be unable to cope with the strains of disrupted value chains, poor infrastructure and additional natural challenges due to climate change. This puts an increasing number of the poor at risk of hunger and malnutrition and makes the attainment the SDGs even more difficult.

So a large group of us discussed this and a committee of five (Ismail Serageldin, Ann Tutwiler, Raj Paroda, Uma Lele and Sarwat Hussain) drafted this open letter, which was reviewed and approved by over 50 distinguished specialists and the initiative was supported by many very eminent people, starting with some 60 members of the NGIC family. Many more people have joined this initiative and we are now in the process of bringing it to the attention of decision-makers and the public all over the world.

Below, the Open Letter is available, followed by the list of signatories as of this posting on 05 May 2020. Those who wish to add their names to the signatories can do so.

Ismail Serageldin
05 05 2020

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